CEREBRAL FIX re-issues & compilations

CEREBRAL FIX singles (0)

CEREBRAL FIX movies (DVD, Blu-Ray or VHS)

CEREBRAL FIX Reviews

"Tower of Spite" is the 2nd full-length studio album by UK thrash metal act Cerebral Fix. The album was released through Roadracer Records in late 1990. Cerebral Fix didn´t have the most successful career and disbanded in 1993 after releasing four studio albums (they reunited in 2006). None of which made much impact on the metal scene. They went through quite a few lineup changes in their relatively short career (1986-1993), the most famous one being when bassist Frank Healy departed to join Benediction. This particular album was pretty well backed by their label though and was promoted in various metal magazines at the time.

Stylistically Cerebral Fix took a bit of a left-turn on "Tower of Spite" compared to the crossover thrash metal of their debut album "Life Sucks... And Then You Die! (1988)". While you will still find traces of crossover thrash metal on the album, the music on "Tower of Spite" is predominantly ultra heavy and at times doomy thrash metal. The pace has been lowered considerably since the debut. The slow- to mid-paced tracks are consistent in quality and style. Heavy riffs, heavy beats (occasional more upbeat) and a raw, snarling, and rather distinct sounding lead vocalist in Simon Forrest. There´s little melodic content on "Tower of Spite", and therefore it´s quite refreshing when suddenly in the middle of "Quest for Midian", a melodic harmony guitar section appears. Other than that the music is pretty one-dimensionally bleak.

The sound production is decent and pretty typical for the time. A bit too much reverb on the snare drum and the bass drums sound a bit odd too, but otherwise the sound suits the music. Overall "Tower of Spite" has a hard time convincing me of it´s qualities though. It´s as if the slow pace of the tracks, make them all sound the same and there are generally very few hooks to hold on to during the 11 track, 44:39 minutes long album. So to my ears there is a reason for the relative obscurity of Cerebral Fix. They simply weren´t up there with the best. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

Cerebral Fix flew beneath the radar in the wider metal world, but those who happened to discover this band still talk of them fondly. Their sound was uncompromisingly heavy, coming from the same school of hard knocks as the better known Bolt Thrower and Benediction, throwing a big dose of UKHC attitude into a death/doom mix. Many bands played fast because that’s what was expected of them, and as a result, the music suffered. Often, the musicians simply weren’t nimble enough to play at high velocity. Whether Cerebral Fix played slower than other bands due to lack of skill or because that’s the way they always intended to play matters little. What it did mean was that the music pounded hard and heavy. With Cerebral Fix, you’re not going to get songs about titties n’ beer, and the music matches the thought provoking lyrics. There is somewhat of a political slant here, although not near as radical as the likes of Extreme Noise Terror. Fantasy also features strongly, but then issues like environmental damage and drug addiction are also tackled. Most disturbing is ‘Ritual Abuse’, with the lyrics on ritualised child abuse enough to make your spine tingle. Lead off track ‘Bastards’ plays similar to Bolt Thrower’s ‘Through the Ages’, in that it is basically an instrumental with a spoken word list recited under it. The bastards are us. While the doom/death sound was never heavier, the Fix’s punk roots were showing. The last quarter of the album is made up of an early song re-recorded and a couple of covers. ‘Maimed to Beg’ came from Cerebral Fix’s first hard-to-find album, and has more of a hardcore feel than the rest of the album. It still grinds like a motherfucker though. GBH’s ‘No Survivors’ has a different feel again. The almost straight forward cover of The Damned’s ‘Smash It Up’ features Wolfsbane’s pre-Maiden Blaze Bayley on vocals, fucking about for all he was worth. For anyone who has never quite understood where bands like Cerebral Fix or Bolt Thrower evolved from, this little threesome highlights the steps along the way. There’s some heavy stuff here, both physically and emotionally, but there is also a bit of fun. It’s a microcosm of life. OK, so things can be serious and shitty at times, but there always has to be a bit of space to blow off steam. ‘Bastards’ is a buried treasure to be savoured.

"Life Sucks... And Then You Die!" is the debut full-length studio album by UK crossover/thrash metal act Cerebral Fix. The album was released through Vinyl Solution in 1988.

The music on the album usually shifts between mid-paced thrashy parts and faster paced chaotic sounding crossover parts. The vocals are raw and at times actually to the point of semi-growling. The musicianship is on a decent level but nothing too special. 15 tracks distributed over a 33:07 minutes long playing time, make for a short but most intense listening experience, but also a rather one-dimensional one. One of the few times the band break out of their formula is half way through "Zombie" where they suddenly introduce a harmony guitar section over a non-distorted guitar backdrop. It´s a section that reminds me of "Master of Puppets (1985)"-era Metallica. Actually the lead guitar work on the album is really good, which is a bit unusual for a crossover album.

The sound production is decent too and overall "Life Sucks... And Then You Die!" is a pretty good album although it seldom manages to make my blood boil. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.